Are You Ready?

If you answer these questions with more Yeses than Nos, it's a sign that you're up for the marathon challenge

Published

December 7, 2010

Have you been running for a year?Logging at least three miles a minimum of three times a week for about 12 months allows the musculoskeletal system to build the strength it needs to handle 26.2. "Injury can crop up when you go from not running to training for a marathon," says Jason Karp, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist and running coach in San Diego. "So build fitness and strength first."

Do you have enough time to devote to training?Here's the minimum: three runs of four to eight miles midweek plus one long run on the weekends. That's equal to about six hours a week of running–not counting stretching or strength training or additional running days or the recovery time you'll need after a 20-miler. "Sit down and plot it out on a calendar to help you assess whether you can really commit to the time," Karp says.

Are there other stresses in your life?Even if you think you have the time, training during major life changes like a big work project or a new baby might lead to unnecessary stress. "I used to always say, 'Come on, you can do it,'" says Andrew Kastor, coach of the High Sierra Striders in Mammoth Lakes, California. "Now I advise runners to wait if life is too busy. As a result, I've had fewer runners finish marathons, but I've seen less injury and more runners having a positive experience."

Do you think you can do it?If you answered "yes" to this and the previous three questions, start training. If your response to this question was "no" or "not sure," start with a half-marathon. "If you build your long run up to 13, do a half, then continue to build your long run, you'll see that 16 is doable, then that 18 is doable, and so on," Kastor says. "Test it out physically to bring yourself along mentally."

Why do you want to run a marathon?One Saturday morning midtraining you'll wake up and realize you'd rather sleep in or watch cartoons with your kids than run 18 miles. Your reasons for wanting to finish a marathon will influence whether you blow off the run or head out the door. "If you're running the marathon because your friends are, you might not have the intrinsic motivation to stick to the training," Karp says. "But if your reasons are highly personal, like raising money for a cause you care about, or proving to yourself you can, you're more likely to find motivation when training gets tough."